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EC onboard map

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dbrb2

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29 May 2011
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I've developed the site on a linux box - I'm afraid I'm a windows free zone at the moment.
I have managed to run it up in IE7 - there were some script errors, though nothing very important as far as I could see. Either way, they should now be gone.

I'll keep an eye on it. However, in IE there also seems to be a memory leak, which will cause it to slow down over time. I'm looking into that now...

Cheers,

Ben
 
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Bodie

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Hello,

Just found out about this little gem!

I'm an avid watcher of certain aircraft radar websites. I have always wondered if we'd see something like it regarding the railways.
Seems this could be the start of something big :D

The radar coverage of aircraft has really rocketed over the last couple of years. I struggled to find anything that covered Europe back in 08/09 but now I can watch almost any plane that goes by my house!

Of course this is different. Realistically the current data for trains is wifi and I don't see that changing anytime soon. And only a handful of the total amount of trains on the network have wifi.
Still you couldn't well grumble if, in the near future we had every train with wifi available.

I say only wifi, but could ERTMS - if and when fully up and running be used in some way. I mean the planes give their data via a radio signal that clearly wasn't intended for we little ones to gawp at on the internet. Granted it may be somewhat less secure then ERTMS.
However could not the signal given out include a brief location for GPS, just like the wifi does for East Coast.

Back to our little celebrity:

I see tonight (early hours of Monday 10/10) she is on depot at Newcastle.

I did see her move (I think) - At 0138 the speed moved from 0.1mph to 4.6mph via 2.2mph and went back and forth between 2mph and 4mph. The icon moved from north of the depot shed itself to inside at the southern end.
Not moved for a while now and I think its doing that moving from side to side that it does when its in or near a building.

I guess if i'm right that it was just being moved slowly around the depot for cleaning and general maintence.

I love it! could watch all day - come on East Coast (and you too Virgin) make all your trains available!

Cheers,

Bodie
 
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LNW-GW Joint

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I've developed the site on a linux box - I'm afraid I'm a windows free zone at the moment.
I have managed to run it up in IE7 - there were some script errors, though nothing very important as far as I could see. Either way, they should now be gone.

I'll keep an eye on it. However, in IE there also seems to be a memory leak, which will cause it to slow down over time. I'm looking into that now...

Cheers,

Ben

Still locking up my IE9/Vista system unfortunately.
Was fine until about a week ago, and would run for hours.

Now it does a few minutes and then stops updating, eventually freezing IE9 from which you have to reboot (task manager won't kill it).
......................................

Fine again now Ben, many thanks.
 
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dbrb2

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Oh dear if I can't fix it this evening, then I'll post a link to a more basic site that will certainly work. I'll get there in the end. I think the change that caused problems was the addition of streetview.

I could flippantly say "don't use IE" - which is a good fix in many ways, but I'd much rather get it working in all browsers :)

Edit 2330:
====
I think the IE bug may be fixed. It is certainly running reliably on my virtual machine (XP, IE7)

Ben
 
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Bodie

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I see 82218 is working 1E19 - 1430 Edinburgh Waverley - London Kings Cross

On time leaving Berwick-upon-Tweed
 

Mike395

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Am passing through STP on the way to/from work tomorrow - will check whether the DVT is still the same one if the unit happens to be at KGX as I'm on my way to/from the station :)
 

crewmeal

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Brilliant - works well on my Macbook pro via Firefox Aurora. No problem with zooming in.

Well done, anything for FGW?
 

DaveNewcastle

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I've just noticed that the direction of travel ("N/Bnd" or "S/Bnd") is derived literally from the direction between the current and previous position. This leads to sudden changes in direction when the line curves back on itself (eg at Sunderland Bridge over the River Wear and round Ayton Hill into the Eye Valley).
First chance to track it west of Edinburgh?
So it will presumably change from N/Bnd to S/Bnd when it joins the Mid-Calder line towards Carstairs then revert to N/Bnd towards Glasgow?

I wouldn't suggest you change it Ben, its quite fun as it is!
 

OxtedL

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One of the things the GPS sends through (along with location and speed) is a bearing, I imagine N/S is based on this. It would be a staggering feat of programming to sort that out I would think. :D

Looking at the map with the train heading to Glasgow you really get a sense of just how ridiculously far out of the way Carstairs is.
 

ainsworth74

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Yeah Carstairs is way out there really, shame they can't use the new A-B line really as at least then it would be a touch more direct.
 

OxtedL

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Heck, once they electrify it, send them via Shotts, it must surely have the capacity... :D
Anyone Scottish able to comment on how important Motherwell is?

So the train is in Polmadie for the night. That must surely make the full set of 225 stabling places now... :lol:
 

DaveNewcastle

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The last I saw of 'our EC train' on this site was yesterday afternoon. It arived in Kings Cross and then jumped to the Atlantic off the coast of Gabon. I assumed that the latitude parameter had defaulted to zero (putting it on the equator) while the longtitude parameter was still correct for Kings Cross (and much of the Atlantic Ocean).
At the time I just expected that the roof of KGX station was attenuating sat. reception and thought no more about it. A story about an East Coast 225 reaching the African Coast would only work on 1st April.
 

dbrb2

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Yes - apologies. It would seem EC have blocked access :(

It should still work whilst onboard the train however

Ben
 

DaveNewcastle

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Yes - apologies. It would seem EC have blocked access
Thanks for the update, but I don't believe you have any reason to apologise!

On the contrary, I think that EC's over-zealous attempt to control media and public comment, when it reaches such desperate measures as this, makes them look like the ass. Still, I'm not holding my breath for them to apologise for the 'loss of service' and 'any inconvenience it may cause'.
No doubt they'll be too busy thinking of a positive spin to put on their next offering (which in reality will barely reach the foothills of whatever heights they announce).
 

Bodie

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Those misable swines! :-x

How long has it been available and why now???

Also just were was the harm in all of this???

Hopping mad!
 

ainsworth74

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A thought occurs as to why the map vanished and then reappeared. Could it be that our intrepid DVT has been away for repainting into the new EC livery? I don't know whether it was already painted but if it wasn't then that would seem a logical reason for the down time.

Either that or EC decided to play nice again ;)
 

14xxDave

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Hello all. I've lurked here for several years but now have been moved to register. Can I say that this map is so very good, I've been engrossed by it's development and love just logging on to watch the set. Thank you so much Ben...your time and effort has been appreciated by me (and others I can see) at least.

It works very well on Safari and also Android.

Cheers,

Dave
 

Bodie

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This is great news :D

Ainsworth - I was thinking along the same lines before it went down. I was wondering if it would still work if the DVT went in for maintence. I think it might have seen as the site still works when the set is stabled overnight.

Very surprised to see her on the move at this time of the day. Appears to be 1Y53 2115 Newcastle - Kings Cross

Was 28 down at Peterborough. 16 down at Stevenage

A late night for our wee DVT

Bodie

Update:

She arrived pretty much on time into Kings Cross.

I missed it as I was away from the computer watching TV for 45 minutes or so. I did watch after arrival for about 20 minutes but sometime between 0135 and 0215 our DVT moved from the station to a point opposite Alexandra Park. Just south of Alexandra Palace station.
She sat here for less then ten minutes before taking a trip to New Barnet Railway Station. Stopped there for just a couple of minutes before it was back to Alexandra Palace station. Less then a minute, then it a few hundred yards south, crossover and then into the depot.

To bed at last for our DVT!

Do you think the trip to New Barnet was to take a look at something with the set??? - She was 28 down at Peterborough, ok she gained it all back by Kings Cross, but could there be a gremlin or two with our set.
 
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Mainliner

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Do you think the trip to New Barnet was to take a look at something with the set??? - She was 28 down at Peterborough, ok she gained it all back by Kings Cross, but could there be a gremlin or two with our set.

There were some delays due to a "trespass incident" in the Grantham area last night, and when I looked at about 2345, our DVT was stationary a few miles south of Grantham for a few minutes, after having been travelling slowly before then, so I assumed that's what the problem was.
 
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